England test captain Ben Stokes says he opted out of the bidding in the Indian Premier League to prioritize playing international cricket in what he described as the “back end” of his career.

Ben Stokes has revealed he did not enter the IPL mega auction to strip back his playing commitments as he attempts to prolong the twilight of his career. Stokes was a notable omission from the list of 52 Englishmen signed up for the mega auction in Jeddah for the 2025 competition.

Captain Ben Stokes says he opted out of the Indian Premier League auction in order to prolong his England career.

Ben Stokes prioritised international cricket over IPL as he opted out of the 2025 mega auction. Here's why the England skipper made this tough decision.

Stokes made his debut in IPL in the 2014 season, following that, he has played 45 matches in the tournament and scored 935 runs at a strike rate of 133.95 and an average of 24.60.